Delivering aid

President Donald Trump on Thursday authorized a 10-day waiver of the Jones Act, a federal law that limits shipping to US ports by foreign vessels. Puerto Rico’s governor and other US officials had argued that a waiver would expedite the shipping of supplies to the island.

Nearly 1 million meals and about 2 million liters of water have been given as of Thursday, according to FEMA.

Thousands of containers filled with food, water and medical aid appeared to be sitting at Puerto Rico’s main Port of San Juan on Thursday.

None of the idle containers carry aid sent by FEMA, said Alex de la Campa, the agency’s Caribbean area division director.

Part of the reason for distribution backlogs at the port is that only 20% of truck drivers have reported back to work since Hurricane Maria swept through, according to a representative for Puerto Rico’s Governor Ricardo Rosselló.

Federal and state response

The Pentagon has appointed Lt. General Jeffrey Buchanan to lead all military hurricane recovery efforts in Puerto Rico. Buchanan is a three-star general and the commander of US Army North (5th Army).

FEMA has given $17 million to Puerto Rico, John Rabin, the agency’s acting regional administrator told reporters Thursday.

Of that, $13.5 million will go to the government and municipalities, and $3.5 million to individuals for assistance.

At least 10,000 federal relief workers and 7,500 troops are on the island, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said.

New York and South Carolina sent law enforcement officers and National Guard members to Puerto Rico, officials said.

Bank closures

Many Puerto Ricans are running low on money and many restaurants, supermarkets and gas stations are only accepting cash because the credit card system is down.

At least half of all bank branches remain shuttered as they can’t get enough armored trucks with gas, or truck drivers, to deliver the cash safely.

Rebuilding and moving forward

The US Army Corps of Engineers have been assigned to help Puerto Rico rebuild its infrastructure, a FEMA deputy director said.

The US Department of Transportation’s federal highway administration has announced the immediate availability of $40 million to help restore roads and bridges across the island and damage related to mudslides and flooding.

The University of Central Florida and Miami-Dade College are offering in-state tuition to displaced college students from Puerto Rico, officials said.

Airports

The San Juan Airport and eight other airfields are open or open with restrictions, FEMA said.

The airport started allowing more than a dozen commercial passenger planes to fly in and out of San Juan after air traffic control services were restored.